Poor Isn't The Problem . . .

OPINION - Reader Views

August 12, 2004

If I read one more time that poverty is the reason for our failing schools, I may have to open a can of pork and beans for dinner, or perhaps a can of stewed tomatoes to be served up with toast, as a reminder that poor doesn't have to mean low performing.

By the way, this was what our family -- Mom, Dad and six children -- had for dinner many nights. While we may not have had great food, new clothes or a fancy place to live, what we did have was a father who went out to work early each morning (or to look for work when he had none) and came home each night. We had a mother who spent her days with us, teaching us respect for ourselves and others, how to behave, and who read to us each night.

It's time we put the blame for our failing schools squarely where it belongs. Poor isn't the problem, it's the breakdown of the American family.